Visiting Alsace with your family – 20 activities

1. See animals in wildlife parks

Seeing animals is always a fun activity for kids… And often to parents! We have a number of wildlife parks in Alsace, including Montagne des Singes, Volerie des Aigles and Naturoparc, to name but a few. A chance for the whole family to see farm animals, birds of prey and storks, as well as more exotic animals.

2. Fun at the Colmar Toy Museum

What could be better for a child than a toy museum? Not much, especially as the Musée du Jouet de Colmar is particularly playful: in addition to exhibits of toys from different eras (a nostalgic moment for parents, I warn you…), the museum also makes games available. It’s a great way to spend a family day out in Colmar!

3. Explore the Ecomusée d’Alsace

TheEcomusée d’Alsace is located in Ungersheim, near Mulhouse. This open-air museum retraces the history and heritage of the region through various Alsatian houses from different eras. The ecomuseum is already interesting for adults (I love this place!), but it’s even more fun for children, with numerous workshops and family activities. It’s a must-do for the whole family in southern Alsace!

4. Take a boat trip

How about a family boat trip in Alsace? There are different possibilities, whether you’re looking for a more urban or more natural boat trip, and whether you’d rather let yourself be guided or pilot your own boat. Here are our favorite family boat trips:

• Batorama in Strasbourg (a special children’s audio guide is available and you can book a covered, heated boat!)
• Boat trip in Colmar
• Flat-bottomed boat trip in the Ried
• Electric boat rental in Strasbourg
• Electric boat rental in Mulhouse

5. Going green at Parc de Wesserling

Visit Parc de Wesserling is a must-see landscape garden in Alsace. It is located in the south of the region, in Husseren-Wesserling. In addition to its themed gardens, where children love to play and stroll, it offers a wide range of activities and entertainment for families, both in summer and at Christmas.

6. Ride the rosalie

Here’s a fun activity that’s great for the whole family: a ride on a rosalie, those funny velocipedes also known as cuistax in Belgium. In Alsace, you can hire a rosalie from Rosalies du Piémont for a walk along the Voie Verte Portes Bonheur, a lovely greenway near Obernai. A great idea for a fun walk with the kids!

7. Amusement park fun

Little Prince Park, Cigoland, Funny World… In and around Alsace, we’re lucky enough to have several theme parks suitable for children of different ages. Not forgetting, of course, the famous Europa Park, located in Germany right on the border with Alsace and sure to please kids, teens and adults alike!

8. Take a steam train ride

How about a ride on a steam train? It’s a popular activity with children, as it allows them to take a real trip! You can choose:

• for the Thur-Doller tourist train in southern Alsace, and
• for the nearby Abreschviller forestry train in Lorraine.

9. Visiting Strasbourg with your family

It would be a shame to visit Alsace without visiting Strasbourg. Fortunately, Strasbourg is a city that lends itself particularly well to family visits. Many places and activities are adapted for children, who will enjoy their stay as much as their parents! To guide you in your discovery of the city, we’ve written an article with ideas for family activities in Strasbourg.

10. A fun family outing

In Alsace, the Tourist Offices have joined forces with Randoland to offer fun walks for the whole family. The relevant Tourist Office will provide you with a booklet that includes routes along the trail. Let me explain: the whole family will follow the same route but, depending on the age of your children, the puzzles will be different.

There are 3 categories: 4-6 years, 7-9 years and over 10 years. It’s not always that easy to answer them, but that’s what makes us proud to have finished at the end! This last level can also be suitable for adults. After all, it’s kind of fun to learn more about the place you’re in by answering riddles, no matter how old you are, right?

It is necessary to count between 1h and 2h of stroll. The routes also allow you to discover Alsatian villages and towns with your family. I almost forgot the good news: it’s free and, as a bonus, you can even be rewarded with a small gift at the end of the tour by some Tourist Offices 🙂

11. Pedaling on a railroad track

Pedaling’s fun enough, but on a rail track, it’s even more fun, isn’t it? That’s what velorails are all about. It’s a safe and original activity that lets you work out (a little) and have fun (a lot) as a family. In Alsace, you can opt for the Vélorail Sud Alsace in the south of the region, or the Vélorail du Pays Secret in the north (in Alsace bossue).

12. Discover the castles of Alsace

If you and your children love castles, you’re in for a treat in Alsace! The region abounds in fortified castles. As an added bonus, the “Sur la piste des Trésors d’Alsace” app offers fun ways for families to discover some of Alsace’s castles.

Here are our 5 favorite castles to visit with children in Alsace:

• Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, undoubtedly Alsace’s must-see castle
• Hohlandsbourg Castle, a castle truly dedicated to children
• Fleckenstein Castle, also known as the castle of challenges. Quite a program, isn’t it?
• Château de Kintzheim, home to the famous Aviary of Eagles
• Château du Licktenberg, with its wooden games and family activities

And if you’d rather take a walk to admire the ruins of castles, we recommend these:

• Wangenbourg Castle
• Château du Haut-Barr
• Guirbaden Castle

13. Awaken your senses on a barefoot trail

Have you ever been on a barefoot trail? These trails are specially designed for walking without shoes, allowing you to massage your feet and, above all, experience new sensations. Different types of flooring are generally provided, to awaken the senses. This unusual activity is a big hit with kids! The good news is that we have several barefoot trails in Alsace if you’d like to try them out.

14. Fill up on treats at the chocolate museums

Are there any gourmands around here? I bet you do, and don’t make the excuse that you have to visit with children – we all know that this kind of tour appeals to food lovers of all ages! In Alsace, you can visit two chocolate museums to combine learning and indulgence: Choco-Story in Colmar and the Musée Les Secrets du Chocolat in Strasbourg.

15. Fun in an old silver mine

Alsace is home toancient silver mines. Some of them can still be visited, and one of them has even been transformed into a veritable underground park offering a wide range of different activities. The Tellure park not only offers classic tours, but also caving tours (with routes adapted for children), an underground escape game (again with different versions dedicated to children aged 5 and over) and an underground via ferrata accessible to children aged 12 and over.

16. Family walks

How about a walk along our Alsatian trails? There’s plenty to choose from when it comes to family hikes, but here are four ideas for walks with children in Alsace:

• Nideck waterfall and castles
• Au Pays des Bûcherons trail in Grendelbruch
• Grotte des Nains in Ferrette
• Bastberg hill

17. Create a treasure hunt “the adventures of Rose and Louis”.

In the Massif des Vosges, there are several short family-friendly hikes: they take the form of treasure hun ts in different parts of the massif! Using booklets, parents and children follow Louis and Rose on their adventures and learn all about their surroundings: nature, traditions, architecture… They’re really well done and, best of all, they’re free!

18. Swimming in lakes and gravel pits

Bathing in Alsace? Yes, it’s possible, and not just in swimming pools! We don’t have the sea, but we do have a number of pleasant lakes and gravel pits where you can cool off and, for the kids, have fun in the water. A really good idea for a family summer activity, especially as the summer season is often particularly hot and stifling… Relaxing by the water is good for everyone!

19. Dive into the wonderful world of gingerbread

Gingerbread is an Alsatian specialty, and we even have the gingerbread capital of Alsace, Gertwiller. Just that! Here you’ll find two gingerbread museums from two companies still producing Alsatian gingerbread today: Lips and Fortwenger. For a family visit, I’d recommend Fortwenger’s Gingerbread Palace: the brand has created a colorful, playful space that children love!

20. Visit the Christmas Markets with your family

You can’t talk about Alsace without mentioning its Christmas markets, can you? The good news is that it’s perfectly possible to visit Christmas markets with the whole family, as long as you choose the most suitable markets and activities. To guide you, we’ve written an article dedicated to visiting Alsace’s Christmas markets with your family, where you’ll find lots of ideas and tips for making the most of this magical time of year.